Chapter 2:

"It is so, so, so good to finally me…meet you all," Ben greeted nervously. Of course he's nervous, Sadie thought; this was his first big test that could be an early indicator of how well he would do as king, and he didn't want to mess it up.

"This is a momentous occasion, and one that I hope will go down in history…Is that chocolate?"

Sadie noticed that the silver-haired boy had managed to smear chocolate all over the lower half of his face. She tried very hard not to smile; she knew that pest Audrey was most likely watching her like a hawk.

"…as the day our two peoples begin to heal." Very nice, Ben, Sadie thought, very nice. The formal greeting let the VKs know that he was royalty, but the casual observation proved that he was relatable as well. Of course she knew that this was just Ben being himself, but she felt the need to analyze his sentence nonetheless. It would be her job in the near future to help Ben be more presentable than he already was, after all.

"Or the day that you showed four people where the bathrooms are," the purple-haired girl quipped. Sadie liked this girl already; she wasn't stuck up, she was sarcastic, and she was making Ben fall out of love with Audrey. It had only been ten minutes, and Sadie already felt sparks flying between the VK and the prince. Who knew that romance could blossom over a discussion that involved toilets? After the day when the VKs were welcomed, Sadie was a true believer that romantic discussions could be about just about anything. Except maybe orcs' ingrown toenails, but that could be a romantic chat too, depending on the tone that the people talking were using and whether or not they were staring deeply enough into each other's eyes.

"A little bit over the top?" Ben asked kindly.

"A little more than a little bit," the purple haired girl replied.

"Well, so much for my first impression," Ben laughed, and it looked like the girl was started to smile too. Sadie already shipped it. She wanted to mail out the wedding invitations immediately before Audrey had the chance to open her mouth…

"Hey! You're Maleficent's daughter, aren't you? Yeah, you know what? I totally do not blame you for your mother trying to kill my parents and stuff. Oh, my mom's Aurora. Sleeping Beauty!"

…Crap.

Sadie was sure that Maleficent's daughter had a perfect response, but she hadn't opened her mouth in a while, and the situation was starting to spiral into dangerous terrritory.

"Audrey, what is it that our lovely warthog friend Pumbaa used to say about putting our behinds in our past, and our eyes on the future?" she asked. "Because I think that we should all put the past where it belongs: in a history textbook."

The silver-haired boy seemed to like this remark, as he smiled slightly. Okay, Sadie thought, so the smaller boy appreciates butt jokes. Good to know. Ben also appreciated the remark, most likely the latter part, and Sadie saw him flash her an approving smile.

"You don't get to preach to me about the past, orphan!" Audrey seethed. "You don't even know who your parents are! How would you feel about meeting the child of your mother's worst enemy?"

"I'd probably just say hello, and maybe ask him or her if he or she wanted to go for pizza, and we'd talk there. If they don't like pizza, especially Trattoria Bella Notte's pizza, then they must be the spawn of Chernabog, or," she turned to the VKs, "are there any villains that you know of who are allergic to tomatoes, cheese, or bread? Because that could be another turnoff in the pizza department…"

"Okay!" Ben clapped his hands authoritatively. "So, how about a tour, yeah? Sadie, why don't you meet Doug inside, and Audrey and I can give the tour?"

"After all," Audrey grinned, "we know exactly where Fairy Godmother wants us to go, since we actually attended the briefing for the Welcoming Committee."

"If she also did your diversity training and behavioral coaching, then I'm afraid that she didn't explain what the word 'tolerance' means to half of the pre-set committee," Sadie beamed. "See you in the lounge!"

"Can Sadie stick around, Prince Ben?" the silver-haired boy piped up quietly. "She's kind of awesome."

As Ben replied, "I'm afraid not. She wasn't debriefed on the plans for our tour today, so she'll be off with Doug in the lounge. Don't worry, you'll see her again.", Sadie walked away with her head down, a small, victorious smile on her lips.

"Hey Doug!" Sadie smiled cheerily as she entered the lounge.

"Hi, Sadie," he smiled back shyly. "I didn't know you were on the Welcoming Committee. How did that happen?"

"Well, Ben just recruited me at the last minute. It wasn't that bad actually; I got to meet the VKs, and poke some fun at Audrey. It was lovely!"

"You really shouldn't be making fun of Audrey, you know, especially in public," Doug said worriedly. "She's one of the most popular and well-connected girls at school! If you really made her mad today, then I hope for your sake that you're prepared to deal with her inevitable retaliation."

"Please," Sadie scoffed. "She tried to pull the orphan insult out again when I made a jab at her the first time, but she should really know that that doesn't bother me anymore."

"You know that she won't stop until she finds a way to hurt you, Sadie," Doug warned. "She has powerful friends, and she knows how to play dirty to get what she wants. Are you really sure it's worth it to go up against her?"

"Doug, Doug, Doug," Sadie grinned at him, "you worry too much! I'm sure that Ben will talk her down like he always does, and everything will be fine."

"And in my opinion, Sadie, you don't worry enough," Doug mumbled as the VKs, Ben, and Audrey entered the lounge.